Tag Archives: 2014

Last night, MTV aired it’s 2014 Video Music Awards, which included performances by Nicki Minaj, Usher, Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, and, of course, Beyonce. Obviously, Beyonce stole the show with her visual album medley and her acceptance of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, but, then again, there wasn’t much to steal in the first place. To be perfectly honest, the entire show felt poorly planned and thrown together with the exception of Queen Bey’s performance, which came with backup dancers, props, special lighting, and perfect sound. All I can say is thank God for good fashion, even though that itself was scarce.

When it comes to Beyonce, her black red carpet gown wasn’t doing it for me, but she redeemed herself with her stained glass inspired long sleeved leotard. Paired with black fishnet tights and flowing locks, the R&B goddess stuck with her signature style, while still keeping her look fresh and appealing. Of all the performance outfits, Beyonce comes in first place.

Besides Beyonce’s moment, Nicki Minaj’s performance of “Anaconda” didn’t disappoint, while Jessie J and Ariana Grande held their own, as well. However, Nicki Minaj’s wardrobe malfunction left me feeling so bad for the Queen of Rap that I couldn’t full enjoy the trio performance. Her on stage dress had so much potential to be great, but a broken zipper can put a damper on any outfit. Luckily though, Ms. Minaj slayed the red carpet in a snakeskin print YSL mini, which was the perfect combination of classy, sexy, and modern. Not to mention, Nicki’s hair and make-up was perfectly on point. Minaj comes in second for best performance, but first for showmanship and red carpet look.

Rounding off my favorite overall looks is the youngest of the Keeping Up with the Kardashians sister, Kylie Jenner. She showed out in a black robe style dress with a sexy slit. With all of the black leather that was happening on the carpet, Kylie still managed to stand out, which is impressive on its own. She kept it a black on black affair by pairing the flowing dress with black peep toe heels and black nails. Yes, it was a little gothic inspired, but it was definitely a killer on the carpet.

Some other looks that caught my attention were that of Jessie J, Iggy Azalea, and Jennifer Lopez. Jessie J came through in a pastel flowing dress, reminiscent of the Ancient Greek and Roman years, which I loved. Her deep V showed some sex appeal, but, I also felt like every other woman on the red carpet was rocking that same hairstyle. Being the VMAs, I expected something a little more daring overall from the songstress.

Iggy and J-Lo both wore silver, doing their best to sparkle on the carpet, but they both fell just short of my best dressed list. Iggy’s dress was nice, which included some cut outs and geometric lines, but I wasn’t feeling the combination of her dress with her hair and make-up choice. I feel like she could’ve done better.

As for Jennifer Lopez, there was nothing wrong with this dress and I feel like it would’ve suited her perfectly ten years ago. Now, there’s no denying Jennifer is a beautiful woman with a slamming body, which she should be proud of, but, at the same time, she’s also a mother of two and is 45. I think it’s about time Jennifer starts maturing her style, rather than picking the shiniest dress with the biggest slit and the most cut outs. I feel like, with this dress, Jennifer wasn’t trying to say “I’m a successful style icon,” but instead “I’m newly single.” I just can’t support that message.

My second favorite moment from last week’s ESPY Awards was Michael Sam’s acceptance speech for the Arthur Ashe Award. If you can, take the time to watch the full segment, featuring Sam’s back story with footage from the NFL Draft. It is very touching.

The 2014 ESPY Awards were last week and, although there were many great moments including Drake’s hilarious skits, I wanted to highlight two of my favorite moments. They are emotional, inspirational, and motivational, which is why I wanted to make sure all of you got a chance to see them. The first of my must see moments is Stuart Scott’s acceptance of the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. I’ll be posting my second favorite moment tomorrow.

Okay, well maybe these celebs weren’t literally golden being that black and dark hues seemed to be the palette of the night for most of the big names, but they still found ways to dazzle and awe with their looks of the night. For the most part, I saw a lot of black, navy blue, and dark green that caught my attention.

Uma Thurman definitely stole the spotlight in my opinion with her monochromatically embellished halter top gown. Uma is Uma and she can do pretty much anything. I mean she’s Black Mamba and she was surely dressed to kill in this number. I love how edgy and different the dress is. Yes, it has classic elements and it screams elegance, but the juxtaposition of the fabrics and the gunmetal next to the black push Uma’s whole look into its own category. Plus, she just looks so fierce and gives off an air of confidence that is impossible to hate.

Right after Ms. Uma Thurman comes Olivia Wilde who slayed the competition in her tight-fitted emerald dress. It sparkles from head to toe, giving off rich green tones mixed with a bit of black and silver. I’m definitely a fan of her long sleeves and the body hugging feature of the gown that keeps all eyes on her very visible baby bump. Plus, I think her ombre locks paired with her light eyes perfectly compliment her whole look.

Rounding out the lovers of the dark, my kudos go out to Sofia Vergara in black and Kate Beckinsale in metallic grey. Sofia opted for an all black ballgown style dress, which was a refreshing change from her signature body flaunting mermaid gowns. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sucker for the mermaid and trumpet cut gowns, but variety is always nice. I think by keeping the dress black with no patterns or embellishments helped keep the gown from being too much. I was also a fan of her turquoise statement necklace that brought in the perfect pop of color to her look. Kate Beckinsale also looked good in her metallic mermaid number. The silhouette itself is girly and classic, while the fabric and patterns are industrial, tough, and modern, which I love. It kept her outfit from being too safe or predictable. Kate’s updo and simple make-up completed the look passively, yet perfectly.

Although the girls in dark hues were running the red carpet last night, I will say that there were a few looks that were giving those ladies a run for their money. I loved, loved, loved Margot Robbie’s crisp white leg bearing gown paired with emerald details, while Lupita Nyong’o kept me interested with her red caped gown. For more of my favorites from last night, take a look at the pictures below.

It’s the first day of 2014 and I honestly have never been so excited to welcome a new year. I believe that 2013 has been one of my best years to date, so I definitely want to see what the new year has to offer me. 2013 was undoubtedly a year of growth for me. I finished whatever business I felt was holding me back from moving forward, helping me go on my own path to pursue my own passions. I finished school, got rid of unhealthy relationships, and filtered out most of my negative thoughts from my mind. Now, it’s a new year and what most would perceive to be a new beginning, but I guess I see it more as a continuation. It is a continuation of the progress that was made in 2013.

From here, I only want to keep growing and improving as should everybody. Who wants to start off the new year with no foundation and a completely clean slate? It doesn’t make sense to erase what happened the year before. If mistakes were made, you can turn them into lessons. Lessons that can help make your new year better. Don’t worry about regrets and what not. Instead focus on what’s ahead while hanging on to all of the good things that happened to you. 2014 will only be as good as you make it. Like I said before, 2013 was good to me, so I feel like I have a lot of positive momentum on my side that I simply can’t let past me. I’m going to take advantage of what I learned to make the new year even more successful.

With that being said, I want to thank you all for always showing your support by reading my posts everyday throughout the past two years. I know I haven’t been posting every single day like before, but I’ve been dedicating more time to other projects that have been on the back burner for way too long. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you or that I don’t appreciate you because, when I say 2013 was good to me you all are included in that statement as well. My blog continues to grow everyday and it’s only possible because you all are willing to hear me out. I will definitely continue blogging away on here, but I’ll also be focusing on my works in progress. When the time is right, I hope you’ll all continue to support me by checking out my new work.

Even though it may be hard to believe, today is indeed the last day of 2013. Tonight the world will be welcoming a new year in the form of 2014, which they hope will be only better than the last 365 days of their lives. Personally, I have little to no complaints about how my last year went. Yes, there were some reals lows throughout the past 12 months and there is no doubt that there were many moments that I broke down in tears, was overwhelmed by stress, and burst out in anger. However, these moments were greatly outnumbered by the accomplishments, the beauty, and the blessings that I experienced in 2013. I graduated college, I dedicated more time to what’s important to me, I got some quality time with the real me, I created priceless memories, and I cherished every minute of it. I realized that in the past it was hard for me to enjoy the present, pick out the positive in each situation, and focus on my own goals, but 2013 was different. I feel like I grew so much as an individual and I can’t help but think that 2014 is only going to be a continuation of that positive growth for me. I enjoyed every second of 2013, but I honestly can’t wait to see what 2014 has to offer. As the chapter of this year ends, I am welcoming the start of a new year with welcome arms. Thanks for everything 2013, but now it’s time to give 2014 a chance to outdo you!

For my New Year’s resolution, I want to maintain a positive mentality, fighting off any negativity that can hinder my progress, while I also want to keep my life moving forward. I don’t want to remain stagnant or stall out. I don’t want to be content with anything. I want to keep progressing without hesitating and without wanting to look back. I want my optimism and my forward movement to maintain my personal happiness and increase my success, while also rubbing off onto those around me.I hope you all can look forward to the new year with a positive mindset, remembering that forward movement is the key to success. You can only fight darkness with light, so always make sure to keep the light within yourself to assure that nothing will stop you from reaching your goals. 2014 can be your year, if you believe it and work hard to make it so. All in all, I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! End 2013 on a positive note, so that 2014 will start off on a positive one as well!